Painted Roses

Once Upon a Time

Once upon a time, there lived a young prince.

He had everything his heart desired but did not want to take on the responsibilities asked of him.

As he grew older, he found the pressures increased.

Tragedy forced him to face his duties.

And he found he couldn't

Let others handle it.

Those more suited to the role.

Not him though, he wasn't suited to those duties, he didn't want to have to make such decisions about the lives of people while never making a decision about himself. How could he trust himself to make such choices?

The more he questioned himself, the more he withdrew in on himself.

He grew to fear the expectations and those who placed those expectations upon him.

"Why, Your Highness? Why must you be a coward?!"

~~~~~~~~~~

Rosalia stood stock still, not moving a muscle as she listened intently to the silence around her. She had heard something, she knew it. There was something with her, hidden in the shadows, out of sights but not out of earshot.

Narrowing her eyes, she lifted her skirts and silently edged forwards.

An intake of breath to her left, followed by a scuttle of little claws to her right.

Ah, there, that was where the noise was coming from.

Very slowly, measuring every step to make sure her slippers created no sound on the old wooden floors, she crept towards the corner.

Several boxes lay in her path, around waist height and she folded her arms on one of the boxes, looked over it to the floor below and poked the intruder on the head.

The little girl let out a shriek of surprise and whirled around, covering her head before looking up at her.

"So, what do you think you're doing hiding up here in the attic?" Rosalia asked, raising an eyebrow at her, planting one hand on her hip.

"Shhhhh!" the girl hissed, "He'll hear you."

Rosalia raised an eyebrow then looked over her shoulder as footsteps sounded below, passing the door that opened to right wing stairs which led up the large attic that spanned the entirely of the manor.

The attic was split in two, one half of the attic divided into the rooms for the maids of the house. The other half where Rosalia and her little stow-away were in was filled with boxes, trunks, crates, old toys, old clothes and a great number of items a young girl could trip on.

"Are you playing hide and seek?" she asked, looking back at the girl again.

"Yes and you're going to give my hiding place away, that's not fair," the girl said, almost raising her voice above a whisper before clamping a hand over her mouth.

"And what did we say about hiding in the attic?"

"Well you're up here."

"I am an adult," Rosalia said with a grin.

"I'm almost an adult," the girl said, puffing up her cheeks.

"Of course you, it's only – what? – ten years until you shall be introduced at court?"